Forget dragons -2012 will be all about the ocean; at least that’s the hope of Harbourfront and the Asian Canadian Special Events Association.

The two groups have teamed up to present LunarFest along Toronto’s waterfront, and have created a giant, 15-foot tall coral reef as part of what ACSEA managing director Charlie Wu calls “the world’s first lantern-aquarium.”

To make the event as inclusive as possible, event organizers tied the event to the lunar New Year, traditionally observed in many Asian cultures.

“A lot of people call it Chinese new year,” says Wu. “It’s a festival to celebrate beyond the Chinese culture.”

The organization first launched LunarFest in Vancouver back in 2009 as part of the city’s Cultural Olympiad, with a focus on Asian arts and culture.

“The idea was to reflect diversity,” says Wu.

They erected a lantern forest with LED lights and environmental messages in the city streets. The installation became one of the most photographed spots during the 2010 Olympics.

Lanterns are a traditional art form but the ACSEA have asked a number of contemporary artists to help populate the reef with lantern fish and sharks with school children and puppeteers helping to bring the creatures to life. They’ve even enlisted DJs to help soundtrack the underwater world.

“It’s a very different presentation,” he says.

Like Vancouver’s lantern forest, the aquarium will rely on energy efficient LED lights to illuminate the reef – an endangered species – and its inhabitants and many of lanterns have incorporated environmental messages into their designs.

“There’s a connection between nature and humans,” says Wu.

“Sometimes it takes a lot of work to make people realize these connections.”

He admits that the aquarium is a subtle message, but once they’ve seen its beauty he hopes people will take notice.

LunarFest takes place from Jan 20 to 24 at Harbourfront Centre (235 Queens Quay West.) It is free admission.